In the 1950s, Tenzing Norgay, who along with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary became the first person known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest, popularised the stereotypical image of Sherpa people as smiling, tranquil, can-do workers happy to escort foreigners across precipitous native land.

Australian director Jennifer Peedom set out to make a documentary capturing a detailed picture of people who, as she remarked at the world premiere of her film Sherpa at the Sydney film festival, are often left on the cutting room floor in depictions of voyages to the top of the earth’s highest mountain.

Peedom’s idea came about in the wake of a violent confrontation between Europeans and Sherpas in April 2013 – the so-called Everest brawl – which made international headlines. Norgay was a campaigner for the rights of his people, who are now more outspoken after decades of being allocated a disproportionate share of the risks involved in climbing Everest’s treacherous slopes – and a disproportionate portion of the reward.

Forget the Everest brawl: the real story is how Sherpas are taking control

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The director and her team, including cinematographer Renan Ozturk (a climber and specialist in high altitude photography) have fashioned what is very likely the most majestic-looking industrial dispute documentary ever made, the icy blue environment an awe-inspiring backdrop for a film largely about employment conditions and worker’s rights.

The intention was to make a documentary depicting the 2014 climbing season from the Sherpas point of view. The filmmakers weren’t to know they’d be on location when horrific tragedy struck – an avalanche down Everest’s perilous Khumbu Icefall, which killed 16 Sherpas.

This marked a turning point in the dispute over better employment conditions for a multimillion-dollar industry that has long boosted the Nepalese government with a cash bonanza but left those on its frontline poor. As one Sherpa puts it: “We can’t risk our lives just because foreigners can afford to pay.”

Peedom finds balance by sharing the film’s focus with New Zealand mountaineer Russell Brice and his clients. Brice is the owner of a major expedition company and advocates for the best interests of his business but also appears to genuinely care for his employees.

We can’t risk our lives just because foreigners can afford to pay

A Sherpa

It’s hard to have much sympathy for foreigners whose holidays risk being ruined while Sherpas risk being killed – one outraged American goes so far as comparing the impending strike to being held ransom by terrorists – but Peedom remains more or less impartial.

The spiritual focus of her film is hooked on Sherpa culture and way of life. Had tragedy not struck, we probably would have seen more of the story of Phurba Tashi, a would-be protagonist on the precipice of breaking the world record for the number of times Everest’s summit has been reached in one year.

Peedom and her team responded to disaster with a steady hand, in more than one sense, and fulfilled a rare opportunity to make a responsive documentary that is large, beautiful, captivating and exhibits deep respect for the people and environments it photographs.